"All of you are currently ten years old, and during the next five years, you will be trained to become great knights who will fight for humanity." Theo says with a smile. "When you reach the age of 15, you undergo the Leo Knight exam and join one of the three knight orders."
The kids' expressions change from serious and focused to excited and determined.
"They all have a good expression on their face." Theo thought seriously
Theo scoffs with a smile
"We'll end it here for today." Theo says while closing the books on his stand. "You should get a move on and head to your next class. The location of your class will be listed in the schedule sent to your phone. Class is over."
Theo leaves the classroom. Right after, the kids take out their phones and look at their class schedules
"Where's the next class?" Adam asks Seleph
Seleph looks at his schedule
"It's in the 1-R classroom." Seleph says while looking at his class schedule
"1-R? That's weird. Mine is in the 1-GD." Eve says while looking at hers
"Mine too." Merena says while looking at hers
"1-R means first year, red class." Noah explains as he gets up. "Our afternoon classes are all different depending on our arcane color. You and I use red arcane energy, so we are assigned to the 1-R class."
"If we're separated based on our arcane color, that means that afternoon classes will be about arcane energy, right?" Byron asks
"Probably." Arlo answers
Adam opens his phone and clicks on the Academy's app. He looks at his class schedule and sees where his next class is located. When he sees where it is, he sighs. Seleph looks at Adam's phone after noticing him sighing
"They can't be serious!" He says with anger
A few hours later, once lunch was over, Adam walked out of the Academy and headed behind it. Behind the Academy was a large forest, and in front of it, a very familiar man. The man opens his mouth and lets out some smoke from his cigarette. He notices Adam and looks at him
"You're late, dumbass." The man says, annoyed
"You are... Ryoma Susano." Adam says with surprise
Ryoma looks at Adam with a frown
"How do you know me kid?" He asks
"You saved me on the first floor." Adam says seriously. "During the Blood Moon Incident."
Ryoma's eyes widen, and he points at Adam with surprise
"Oh! You're the suicidal kid, aren't you!?" Ryo says while pointing at Adam with a smile
Adam nods with a confused expression
"Why are you here?" Adam asks with curiosity. "Aren't you the Vice-Captain of the Black Leo Order?"
"I am the Vice-Captain of a squad within the Black Leo Order." Ryoma explains. "You must have thought that I was the Vice-Commander. Anyways, during my last mission, I ended up destroying all the land that we recovered, and it's going to cost a fortune to fix the lands!"
Ryoma laughs as he says that last phrase
"This guy is crazy." Adam thought as he looked at Ryoma dying of laughter
"Because of that, I ended up suspended and assigned to the Academy." Ryoma says pissed off. "When I got here, the headmaster assigned me to the special class. In other words, you."
"Special class? Why am I not getting taught in one of the other classes?" Adam asks with curiosity
Ryoma sighs while lowering his head. He then raises his head and looks at Adam with anger
"Why the hell are you asking so many questions!?" Ryoma asks with anger while walking toward Adam
Adam readies himself, but Ryoma suddenly stops and looks at Adam as he lets out some smoke from his mouth
"During the arcane classes, the teacher teaches both Arcane Skills, but they also help you learn and discover your Arcane Art." Ryoma says as he sits down on a rock. "Do you get it?"
Adam lowers his head with his fist clenched. Ryoma stares at Adam for a bit with his head lowered as he lights up another cigarette. He then lifts his head up, takes out the cigarette from his mouth, and lets out some smoke
"Let's get started, kid." Ryo says while pointing to the ground in front of him
Adam walks and sits in front of him
"I've been suspended for a year." Ryoma says. "Which means that I'll only teach you for the current year. You better absorb as much as you can, kiddo!"
Adam nods
"Good. Now I want you to show me your arcane energy." Ryo says
Adam raises his hand a bit and starts to emit arcane energy
"Unleash it." Ryoma says with a smile. "I want to see the extent of your ability."
"Unleash it? You mean as much as I can!?" Adam asks with worry
Ryoma nods, but also notices that Adam's concerned tone
"Could it be that you already did it once?" Ryo asks with a frown
Adam nods
"I see. If you've already done it, why do you look so worried?" Ryo asks
"The last time I did it was a year and some months ago." I had just awakened my arcane energy, and I lost control. I experienced the Vacuus state."
"Kid, do you even know what you're talking about?" Ryo asks with a frown. "Vacuus is a state you cannot come back from unless someone injects the same color of arcane energy into your body. How did you, who has a new color, manage to survive?"
Adam remains silent
"Guess he can't tell, huh?" Ryoma thought as he looked at Adam
"Whatever. I don't really care about the details. Now, do what I asked you to do or I'm gonna kill you on the spot, kiddo." Ryo says while glaring at Adam
Adam looks at Ryoma with disbelief
"Fine!" Adam says with his eyes closed
He gets up and, with his eyes closed, starts to focus. He then suddenly opens his eyes and unleashes as much arcane energy as he can. Powerful gusts of wind rage on within the Academy's grounds due to Adam's arcane energy. Ryoma looks at Adam with a smile and an expression full of surprise
"How is this possible!? To think that someone with this much arcane energy existed!" Ryoma thought with a surprised smile
Ryoma gets up and starts walking towards Adam
"This is crazy." Ryo says with a smile. "The closer I get, the more impressive this is."
He inhales some smoke, takes his cigarette out of his mouth, and exhales the smoke
"Now, I should probably do something about this before it gets complicated." He says while looking at Adam, who is obviously starting to struggle
Ryoma disappears and reappears in front of Adam
"Grit your teeth, kiddo." Ryoma says with a smile
He then proceeds to punch Adam in the stomach and sends him flying into a few trees
"Did I punch him too hard? Well, he should be fine". Ryo says while taking a cigarette out of his pack
He puts the cigarette in his mouth and takes out a golden lighter with an engraving of a snake wrapped around a katana on it. He uses the lighter to light up his cigarette and puts it back in his pocket.
"Was there no other way to stop me?" Adam asks while walking back with his hand, where he got hit
"I just chose the most effective way." Ryoma replies while puffing out some smoke. "You probably should sit down, kiddo."
Adam sits back down where he was sitting
"After seeing what you can do, I've made up my mind." Ryoma says while looking at the sky
Adam looks at Ryoma with impatience
"I've decided how I am going to teach you." Ryoma says after lowering his head to look at Adam
Red arcane energy starts to come out from Ryo's hand, and two wooden katana form from his red arcane energy and a tree branch he had grabbed earlier. He throws one at Adam, who catches the wooden katana and keeps the other.
"I have no idea what I am supposed to teach you since we have different colors, and it's not like I met anyone with the same color as yours." Ryoma says
An evil smile forms on Ryoma's face. A smile that makes Adam shudder
"There is only one thing I can teach you, and that's weapon handling and Fighting Techniques." Ryoma says with an evil smile
With hesitation, Adam asks a question
"And how exactly are we gonna do that?" Adam asks
With his sword raised in the air, Ryoma appears in front of Adam
"ISN'T IT OBVIOUS!?!? IT'S WITH ACTUAL COMBAT!!!" Ryoma yells with an evil smile while swinging his katana down
Adam quickly blocks the swing, but Ryoma increases the strength behind his attack and starts to push Adam's sword down
"No way!!! I am losing in a battle of strength!?" Adam thought, surprised as it was his first time meeting someone physically stronger than him
Adam quickly dashes back and regains composure
"It's true that you're strong, but don't forget that I am 10 years older than you," Ryoma says while puffing out some smoke. "Not only do I train, but my muscles are also fully developed compared to yours."
"I've met plenty of adults who are physically weaker than me." Adam says
"You must have some kind of problem when it comes to listening." Ryoma says with a smile. "I train, idiot. ENOUGH TALKING NOW!!! I'M COMING TO KILL YOU!!!"
The two clashed swords multiple times, but the one holding the advantage couldn't be clearer. Ryoma was in complete and total control of the battle.
In the 1-R classroom within the Academy, Noah and Seleph are sitting next to each other, and in front of the smart board is the teacher with long violet hair
"My name is Amonet, and I am the one in charge of the 1-R class." She says with a smile
The 1-R class had a total of 20 to 30 students. Out of the thousand students who were accepted into the Academy this year, only 20 to 30 were possessors of the red arcane color. Proof of how rare a color it is
"Still, this is impressive. To think that I would get to teach such a big class. It might be the first time in the history of the Academy that the 1-R class has had this many students." She continues. "I'm pretty sure Theo went over the different abilities of each arcane color, so I'll pass that and start the lesson. Those like us with the red arcane color, unlike the other color, are born with an ability. All we need to do is discover, learn, and grow that ability."
Noah raises his hand
"I am pretty sure that you're wondering how to discover that ability of yours." Amonet says with a soft smile
Noah nods and puts his hand down
"It depends on the person." Amonet says seriously. "Some awaken their ability after arduous training, others after tons of meditation, while some awaken it out of the blue. Like I said, it all depends on the person."
In the 1-GD classroom next to the 1-R, which is used by students who have awakened gold arcane energy, only had a total of seven students. Amongst those students were Lias, Merena, and Eve.
*Click*
The door of the classroom opens, and a teacher enters. The teacher in question had short bright red hair, yellow eyes, and a mustache connected to his beard. The man was tall, maybe around 6'8 or 9. Not only was he tall, but he was also extremely muscular
"I'll be the one teaching the 1-GD class." The man says as he stops before his stand in front of the smart board. "My name is Stravato, Stravato Murkan. It's nice to meet you."
"Our teacher is from the Murkan family?" Merena thought as she looked at Stravato. "One of those people awakened golden arcane energy?"
Merena frowns
"'ll be straightforward with you all." Stravato says seriously. "You all might have awakened the golden arcane color, but most of you probably won't even be able to awaken your Ark."
Stravato raises his fist to the level of his chest and opens it. When he does, a golden flame appears within his hand
"This is the proof that an Ark has awakened and acknowledged you." Stravato explains. "It's called the Ark Flame. All you need to do is sit down and meditate using your arcane energy. If the Ark Flame appears while you're doing so, that means the Ark has decided to test you. By grabbing that flame, you'll be accepting and entering the Ark's inner world."
In the 1-GR class, Theo was in front of the stand and had already started the lecture
"Conjurers use their arcane energy to conjure different phenomena depending on the art they learn." Theo says. "For example,"
Theo claps his hands together, and his hands start to emit arcane energy
"One of the basics yet most powerful Conjuration type art." Theo continues as he slowly opens his hands. "Flame Conjuration Art"
Flames appear between Theo's hands as he slowly opens them
"Unlike the gold and red arcane color, those who use blue and green arcane energy can choose the art they learn." Theo continues as the flames between his hands disappear. "However, you can only learn one art, and you must keep your compatibility with the art in mind."
Class 1-B was held in the gym due to their Art's ability, and the one in charge of the class was the woman with orange hair
"Our color may not be rare, but that doesn't mean that we are any weaker than the others." The orange-haired teacher says
Byron raises his hand
"To be completely honest, Loris. The blue color is extremely limited in terms of ability." Neant says
"What are you even doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the infirmary?" Loris asks with an expression of disbelief. "AND CALL ME TEACHER!!!"
Loris calms down by taking a deep breath and exhaling
"Unfortunately, it's true." Loris says calmly and seriously. "Most arts that we can learn only have two abilities. Partial Shifting and Complete Shifting."
The energy from the kids in the room quickly turns dark
"But I saw it once." Loris says with a smile
The kids lift their heads and look at Loris's huge smile
"Some shifting art that can stand up and even surpass those from the other color." Loris says
Back in the forest with Adam, Ryoma was overpowering Adam during each exchange, and after a good hour of non-stop fighting, the bell announcing the end of class rings
"*phew* I managed to get rid of a whole lot of stress. Well then, I'll see you tomorrow, kiddo." Ryoma says as he walks away with a smile, leaving behind an injured Adam
"Damn it." Adam says with anger. "I am definitely going to beat him up next time!"